


Let's Get Ready To Rumble!

by roryheadmav



Category: The Avengers (2012), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe-Wrestling, M/M, Professional Wrestling - Freeform, Thorki - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-02-26
Updated: 2013-03-07
Packaged: 2017-12-03 17:45:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/700961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roryheadmav/pseuds/roryheadmav
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a very traumatic incident from his childhood, Loki returns home to discover his father's professional wrestling gym in financial distress. Not only is he tasked to see the gym and its kooky athletes restored to their former glory, he must take on the challenge of becoming the manager of his childhood friend Thor, who has become a pro-wrestler as well. Easier said than done, when Thor is a bit deficient in brain and is soon to face a fiendish, cheating adversary in the squared circle.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Carry On Wayward Son

**Author's Note:**

> Since I'll be ending "Frog Prince of Asgard" this weekend, I somehow found myself tinkering with this story. I must admit that I've long wanted to write a wrestling story, having had the wonderful pleasure of meeting some of the greatest wrestlers in the then World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Seeing Chris Hemsworth's biceps made me remember those guys, so I figured it would be interesting to see Thor as a pro-wrestler with Loki as his reluctant manager. Anyway, I hope you'll give this fic a try. Watch out for the conclusion of "Frog Prince" this weekend! ;)

**LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!**

**Copyright February 27, 2013 By Rory**

**Chapter 1: Carry On Wayward Son**

 

"Would someone please tell me what the hell I'm doing back here?"

 

"Here" was a decrepit-looking gym with a humongous, worn out sign hanging from the gutter. It definitely needed a new paint job even if its name—Yggdrasil Stampede—was still somewhat visible. Loki Laufeyson's green eyes widened in alarm as the sign in question let out a groan and teetered sideways, so that he took a step backward lest it fall on top of his head.

 

"Yeah, I was wondering that question myself," the taxi driver suddenly spoke up behind him, setting down his luggage at his feet. "This gym, and its…er…athletes, if you can call 'em that have certainly seen better days. It certainly isn't the same when Frost Giant Laufey and Odin AllDaddy were still at the top of their game."

 

Loki found himself shuddering inwardly at a distant memory from his childhood.

 

_Of Odin holding his tiny neck in a strangling chokehold…_

_Of himself crying rivulets of tears down his face as he cried, "Daddy, save me!"_

_Of Laufey, his father, being pummeled helplessly at his feet by Odin's thugs…_

_Of the day he left for the boarding school in England, angry and bitter…_

_Of his father telling him, "I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive me, son."_

 

He was brought out of his troubled thoughts by yet another groan from the sign. This time, the sign tilted a good two feet, prompting the taxi driver to tug urgently at his trench coat sleeve.

 

"Now if you don't mind, I want my fare." The driver almost jumped as the sign dropped another half feet. "I don't want that thing falling on my cab."

 

Loki thrust some bills into the sweaty hands of the driver, who promptly ran into his taxi and drove off with a screeching of tires. He too found himself grabbing his luggage and he rushed straight to the glass door, pushing it open just as the sign came crashing down behind him, a mere inch from his head.

 

As Loki stared in utter disbelief at the sign that had nearly brained him, he did not notice two heads peeking over his shoulder.

 

"DAD, THE FUCKING SIGN FELL AGAIN!" Loki flinched at that full volume bellow right at his left ear. "I TOLD YOU YOU SHOULD'VE USED STRONGER NAILS!"

 

"BLAME IT ON YOUR UNCLE ODIN!" A familiar voice answered from inside the gym. "HE'S THE CHEAPSKATE!"

 

Before Loki could even consider making a hasty retreat, a large, heavy hand fell on his shoulder, and he turned to behold his youngest brother Byleistr grinning at him.

 

"Loki, you're a sight for sore eyes!" Byleistr exclaimed. Then, jerking his head back to the gym's interior, he yelled, "DAD, UNCLE ODIN! LOKI'S HOME!"

 

His second brother Helblindi, the one who shouted first about the sign, pulled him into his arms in a crushing embrace. "Big Brother, it's good to have you back! Why, you're still as scrawny as ever! I thought you'd taken up rugby while you were in Oxford? Shouldn't you have acquired some muscles?"

 

"Helblindi, I don't need the muscles of a steroid-pumped behemoth to play rugby," Loki replied as he deftly twisted his body out of his younger brother's grasp.

 

Byleistr hushed him sternly. "Don't say stuff like that, Brother! We don't want to give people the wrong impression. All that roid business is in the past. Now, it's just plain nutrition, exercise, daily training, and a lot of hard work."

 

"But let's not talk out here," Helblindi declared, as he and Byleistr grabbed Loki's suitcases. "Come on inside. Auntie Frigga's got your old room all ready for you."

 

As the three brothers entered the Yggdrasil Stampede, Loki could not help feeling a sense of nostalgia. The place was still the same as it was when he had left. The walls were still covered with yellowing posters. Prominently displayed was one framed poster of his father striking a fighting pose with his nemesis Odin. Yes, the picture for that poster was taken at the height of their infamous 'feud'. Somehow, he found it ironic that two fierce rivals ended up becoming business partners of this dilapidated gym.

 

The only things that looked well-maintained were the three boxing rings, which probably wouldn't have needed so much maintenance if the art of pugilism was being practiced within it to begin with.

 

In the first ring, he watched as an Asian-looking dude knocked a goateed-blond guy to the floor with a crooked arm lariat. Standing at the corner, a bearded man with a voluminous girth was stretching out his hand desperately to his fallen partner, begging to be tagged in. In the other corner, a handsome blond man wearing star-spangled wrestling tights was grinning, already assured of their victory.

 

"WATCH THAT ELBOW DROP, NAT!" Loki turned to the second ring, just in time to see a pretty redhead roll across the mat and out of the way of an elbow that was being delivered by a raven-haired beauty. The black-haired woman landed with a grunt, only to find herself trapped in a camel clutch. His eyebrows lifted at the sight of his Aunt Frigga standing precariously on the first rope, pumping her fist in the air. "NOW, LET'S SEE YOU GET OUT OF THE CLUTCH, SIF!" With a low growl, Sif pushed her body upward in order to get her legs under her. She then used the momentum of her legs to shove Nat backward and off her.

 

Frigga gestured furiously to a young blond man with a towel draped over his shoulders. "Get in there, Barton!"

 

The man stared back at her, wide-eyed. "Who? Me? I'm not ready to die at the hands of Amazons!"

 

Before Barton could let out another word of protest, Sif and Nat strode over to him, pulled him over the ropes, and felled him with two dropkicks. Loki winced, seeing Barton lying senseless on the mat. The poor guy never knew what hit him.

 

"Excellent work, ladies," Frigga cheered on her two charges, only to squeal in glee when she beheld her nephew. "LOKI! YOU'RE BACK!"

 

Loki exhaled harshly when his aunt nimbly leaped from the ring and into his arms, her legs wrapped around his waist and her hands on his neck, smothering his face with kisses. "Just look at you in your snazzy trench coat, silk shirt, and tie. Who'd ever think that you belong in a wrestling family? I'm so proud of you! An Oxford-educated certified public accountant! Can you believe it?"

 

"Well, obviously, I'm not really cut out for the squared circle," Loki said with a shrug. "I was actually all set to accept the offer to join an accounting firm in London when I got Uncle Odin's letter. What's going on? Is Dad alright?"

 

"Oh, Laufey's fine, Loki. Stubborn old goat that he is," a voice spoke up behind him. As Loki whirled on his heels, he beheld his father limping toward him, a stout cane in his hand, with a smiling Odin prodding him insistently with poking fingers to his back.

 

"That ain't my son," Laufey muttered under his breath. "That's a pasty-faced, lily-livered executive who doesn't know the value of hard work."

 

"If you mean that I'm not a steroid-addicted nut who would allow himself to get beaten up night after night in staged fights, then I'm so glad that I ended up becoming a cowardly executive," Loki spat out his resentment in a single rapid sentence.

 

"Now, now, Laufey," Odin patted his best friend's shoulder. "I always told you that you should let your children follow their calling in life. Anyone can see that Loki is not cut out for this business."

 

Loki was not sure whether he should feel insulted by what his uncle said or not. True, Helblindi and Byleistr took after their father, with their brawny build and thick muscles. Loki, on the other hand, looked more like his mother—pretty of face with bright green eyes and a lithe, graceful body which could be easily mistaken as being delicate. Loki had that problem when he initially joined the rugby team, but he certainly proved them wrong when he revealed strong muscles and speed and agility underneath his wiriness.

 

Laufey nodded in acquiescence to Odin's comment. Hesitantly, he raised his arm and pulled Loki into a strong, desperate embrace. "Good to have you home, Loki," Laufey said in greeting, a slight tremor in his voice.

 

"Actually, I'll only be staying a couple of months at the most," Loki gently drew away from his father's embrace. "As I told Auntie Frigga, I received a lucrative offer from a prestigious accounting firm in London. But Uncle Odin told me that I must return home because you needed my help." He then gestured to himself. "Well, I'm here. So what do you need me for?"

 

The two men looked at each other for a moment before draping their arms on each of Loki's shoulders.

 

"You see, son, the business is not as good as it used to be," Laufey began with great reluctance. "What with the WWE taking all the good business these days."

 

"Yes, I can see that. I was nearly crushed to death by your old sign outside. I take it you need help on the finances. Perhaps you require financial advice from me. I could do that."

 

"Well, it's not just financial advice that we need exactly." It was Odin's turn to put in. "Your father and I are obviously not…educated…to handle all the managerial stuff for this place."

 

Loki's eyebrows lifted at that last. "Wait, you want me to become manager of Yggdrasil Stampede? That's really flattering of you to think that I can salvage the family business but—"

 

"Oh good!" Laufey suddenly exclaimed, and Loki felt a chill go up his spine as he wondered whether he had fallen into some kind of trap. "I'm pretty sure that you can get this business up and running again…even in the few months that you'll be staying with us."

 

Loki breathed a sigh of relief. So, it was a temporary gig after all!

 

"We have a prospective financier for the business. I believe you know him. A guy named Tony Stark."

 

At that name, Loki's face soured instantly. Tony Stark was his senior in Oxford, and Tony made it his routine to sexually harass the younger man every chance he got.

 

Odin must have noticed the expression on Loki's face because he quickly countered, "Oh, don't you worry about Tony. He's a good boy. Quite a huge professional wrestling fan. In fact…" He bent down and whispered, "Tony and Steve Rogers over there…" Odin pouted in the direction of the blond man in the spangly wrestling tights. "…They're pretty tight."

 

"You're kidding me, right?" Loki blurted out. "Since when has the pro-wrestling world been accepting of gays?"

 

"Well, your Uncle Odin and I are planning to change people's minds about that," Laufey explained. "Just because someone is gay, it doesn't mean that they can't do the things they love. The same goes for wrestling. And I'm telling you. With the way Steve fights, you'd never think that he was gay."

 

"Are you two old farts talking about me again?" Steve called out to them.

 

"Now why would we be talking about you, Steven?" Odin yelled back, exasperated, as he and Laufey led Loki to the farthest ring. "Anyway, you'll be surprised to learn that Tony is not backing up the gym because of Steve. He wants to put his money on my son, seeing that he has a lot of potential in becoming a world champion just like his boyfriend."

 

"Your son?" Loki paused for a moment, his mind whirling so that he did not notice the big blond figure that was fighting in the ring. "Wait…you're not talking about…"

 

Laufey nodded solemnly. "Yup, Loki. We are definitely talking about your childhood friend, who surprisingly turned out to be a remarkable wrestler, much like his father. Unlike you."

 

"Aren't you going to quit poking jabs at me?"

 

"However, we do have a bit of a problem with—"

 

"LOKI!"

 

Loki lifted his gaze to behold a breathtaking smile from a ruggedly handsome face that was peering at him from the ring. His dearest friend had grown since he last saw him. He was only an inch taller than Loki, but he already possessed a powerful build. Loki could not stop himself from drooling at the sight of those massive biceps.

 

Loki's eyes widened, however, when he saw the other guy in the ring leap into the air and hurtle toward his unsuspecting opponent with an arm outstretched. "WATCH OUT FOR THAT—"

 

The flying clothesline connected with that blond head with shocking force, so that he toppled over the ropes and landed with a painful thud at Loki's feet.

 

As they all looked down at the dazed man, Odin could not help but shake his head, forlorn. "Still as dumb as a door knob. I want you to look out for him, Loki."

 

"Huh?"

 

Laufey wondered if his son had suddenly contracted his nephew's stupidity. "What your uncle is trying to say is that we want you to be Thor's manager."

 

Loki's jaw dropped as he gaped at the two older men, only to be drawn by a happy chuckle from the man at his feet.

 

"Hi, Loki!" Thor Odinson greeted him before passing out cold.

 

As he found himself bending down to help his childhood friend, all Loki could think about in increasing dismay was _"What the fuck did I just get myself into?"_


	2. We Are Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pardon if there are any errors in this. I'm doing some work while I was typing this. ;P

**LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!**

**Copyright March 8, 2012 By Rory**

**Chapter 2: We Are Family**

 

"Ahem…once upon a time..."

 

"HOLD IT! Is this going to be that story again, the one about your star-crossed love affair with Laufey? How you two broke up because you ended up marrying Frigga on account of your Dad? And Laufey never forgave you for breaking his heart, so you had that decade long blood feud in the squared circle?"

 

With a protesting squawk, Clint found himself being smothered by a barrage of smelly, sweaty towels from the two lady wrestlers who had been glaring at him since he opened his mouth to speak.

 

"Now," Odin focused a gimlet eye upon Barton, "are you going to zip it and just let me tell the story my own way?"

 

Ever the asslicker, Volstagg raised a chubby arm. "Ooh, ooh! I want to hear it!"

 

Hogun, who was plopped between his two tag team partners, shot a warning glance at the voluminous wrestler. But to his dismay, Fandral to his left chimed in, "Make sure that you include the hot sexy details, Boss."

 

Both Helblindi and Byleistr vehemently shook their heads. "No no no! Hearing the details of our parents' former love affairs will only cause us to go into total mental shutdown."

 

"I'm interested," Natasha said, smirking, as she pinched Steve's cheeks. "Steve here will need all that information for handling Stark."

 

Steve sputtered in is Gatorade. "How many times do I have to tell you that there is nothing going on between me and Tony Stark?"

 

"Yeah, Steven," Sif guffawed. "If you keep telling yourself that, you're likely to start believing it."

 

Laufey's eyebrow lifted with suspicion. "Just what story is it that you're going to tell anyway? I have to agree with Clint. If it's going to be that tale again, I'd rather not hear it." He bowed to Frigga. "I don't want your beloved wife getting the wrong idea that I still have the hots for you."

 

Frigga waved a hand at her husband's erstwhile rival. "Oh, don't you worry about it, Laufey! If you still want him, I can give him back to you. I've actually grown tired of the old coot."

 

"After so long, I'm no longer interested in him," Laufey replied, grinning. "He is all yours!"

 

Odin's head turned to and fro between his wife and his business partner. "Why?" he let out a false sob. "Don't you want me no more?"

 

"Nope!" the two declared in unison, which earned a snort from AllDaddy and laughter from the wrestlers who were resting on their respective benches.

 

"They're all still the same, right, Loki?" asked Thor, chuckling at his elders' cheerful banter.

 

Loki, however, was not in the least bit amused, following what happened earlier. Thumping the ice bag hard on the growing lump at the back of Thor's head, he elicited a tear-filled, "Owww!" He growled, "Shut up, Thor! I'm still pissed off with you. I thought I told you before I left that I want you to grow eyes at the back of your head. How can you be a pro-wrestler when you're not alert to everyone around you? Then again, what _are_ you doing wrestling anyway? I thought you and I decided that we wouldn't be getting into this silly family business."

 

"I'm sowwy!" Thor whined, clutching the ice bag to his scalp lest Loki decide to thump it on his head again.

 

"And you…" Loki whirled toward a blinking Bruce Banner. "Have you no honor? You don't clothesline an opponent whose back is turned to you!"

 

Bruce shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "This is pro-wrestling, isn't it? There is no honor in pro-wrestling."

 

"AHEM…let us begin my story once more," Odin interrupted. "Once upon a time…"

 

"THE STARKMAN IS IN THE HOUSE!"

 

As Odin groaned, all heads turned to the door as Tony Stark himself waltzed in, looking resplendent in an Armani suit. The only thing marring his pristine appearance was a black eye and the neck brace wrapped around his neck.

 

"Hi, Honey!" Tony bent down and gave Steve a wet kiss.

 

Steve grimaced at the familiar odor emanating from his lover's mouth. "Have you been drinking again?"

 

Tony ignored him, however, when his eyes alighted upon Loki. With a squeal, he flounced over to the bench where Thor and Loki were sitting. "LOKITTY! So you finally have come home! MWAH MWAH MWAH!"

 

Loki wanted to gag from alcohol breath as he shoved Tony's face away from his cheek. "GET OFF ME, YOU PERVERT!"

 

"You better do what he says Tony or you'll get a taste of my fist," Thor said warningly, raising a clenched fist the size of a ham.

 

Draping himself all over Loki, Tony cried miserably, "Why is everyone picking on me?"

 

"What happened to you?" Loki asked curiously. "You look like you've been run over by a bus."

 

It was Clint who answered. "Tony's sweetie Steve there got into a rumble with a challenger and his gang of goons. The Warriors Three were about to go to Steve's aid, but Tony, being so worried, just ran into the ring and started punching away. For his heroics, he ended up getting eye raked AND piledriven on the mat."

 

"And Steve didn't even bother to visit me in the hospital," Tony sobbed bitterly.

 

"Excuse me," Steve said dryly. "I was at the hospital the whole time. It's not my fault that you were unconscious during the time that I was watching over you."

 

"Well, you should have waited for me to wake up, damn it!" Tony spat back. Nuzzling in Loki's neck, he mumbled, "Hmph! Loki loves me more than you do."

 

Loki strongly shook his head. "No, I don't!"

 

"AREN'T YOU ALL GOING TO SHUT UP AND LET ME TELL MY STORY?" Odin snarled with great impatience, so that everyone quickly fell silent and turned their heads to him expectantly.

 

Clearing his throat once more, AllDaddy began, "Once upon a time…"

 

"IS ALLGRAMPY TELLING A STORY?"

 

Odin let out an exasperated growl. "WHAT NOW?"

 

Everyone turned toward the window where two small, impish heads were watching them eagerly. A much larger, scowling head appeared between them.

 

"So this is where you've been at!" Yggdrasil Stampede security guard Heimdall scowled at his two wayward offspring. "I'm taking you home right this minute!"

 

"I see you've brought Huginn and Muninn again, Heimdall," Odin said, unable to keep back his smile at the sight of the guard's kids who were dangling from his tight grip. "No wonder you weren't at the door to meet Laufey's boy."

 

"I'm sorry about this, Boss," Heimdall replied with deep regret. "Thyr is working overtime at the hospital today."

 

"Oh, just let them be, Heimdall," Laufey declared. With a wave to the children, he urged, "Come on in, boys."

 

"GO THROUGH THE DOOR!" Heimdall warned, but it was already too late as the cute African-American twins crawled through the open window and fell, giggling right into the laps of Odin and Laufey. Loki could not help but be amused with them as well, seeing that their parents had dressed them in the trademark overalls of Super Mario and Luigi to tell them apart. They couldn't be more than five years old.

 

Odin could not help but laugh as he ran his fingers through the curly locks of the boy dressed as Luigi in his lap. "Let me guess.  Since you're dressed as Luigi, you must be Muninn."

 

The boy giggled, shaking his head, as he twiddled his fingers. "Uh, uh! We switched clothes today. I'm Huginn and he's Muninn."

 

"Oh," Laufey tilted his head back in realization. "If this is Munny, then I'll…" At these words, he started giving kisses to the boy in his arms, causing him to squeal.

 

On the other hand, Odin squished and tickled his own little boy tightly. "You're so nice to hug, Huggy!" He then paused. "Wait! If you two are here, then that means…"

 

"THERE YOU ARE! WE'VE BEEN LOOKING ALL OVER FOR YOU!"

 

That accusing cry was followed by the bangs of the opening doors as two more boys the same age range as the twins ran inside the gym, giving their grandparents' kisses.

 

"Go say hello to your Uncle Loki, Jory, Fen," Odin pointed in the direction.

 

The two boys solemnly marched over to Loki. To his credit, Loki leaned over to let the kids bestow sweet pecks on both his cheeks. He then reached over and ruffled their hair. "My, you've both grown so big! The last picture that Balder sent me, you two were still in your cribs." Balder was Thor's bright younger brother who has a thriving medical practice in Hoboken, New Jersey. Loki looked at Odin suspiciously. "Uncle, surely you are not planning to expose these adorable kids to the stuff you guys do."

 

"Believe me, Loki," Frigga declared with a knowing pout, "they are pretty much over-exposed by now. Why, when Odin had an exhibition match a couple of months ago, Fenrir thought his AllGrampy was going to lose to that cheating Tyr the War God, ran into the ring, and bit his hand." She shook her head. "The nerve of that Tyr, saying that my grandson has rabies."

 

"I got him good, Uncle Loki!" Fenrir said proudly, his broad grin revealing a gap between his two incisors.

 

Loki hesitantly patted his nephew. "Yes, I can see that."

 

At that moment, the doors opened again, and Balder's twelve year old son Sleipnir entered, carrying one and a half year old Hela. "I'm very sorry, AllGrampy. Heimdall begged me to watch out for them while he waited for Uncle Loki to arrive, but somehow they got away from me."

 

"Don't worry about it, Slei," Odin said in reassurance. "Truth be told, you were like them once."

 

"I was not!" Sleipnir declared indignantly, wanting to project a mature mien.

 

Hela mumbled to her oldest brother through the pacifier in her mouth and gave him a light kick in the belly. Sleipnir gently set her down. Her lips curling up in a charming smile, she toddled over to Loki, who promptly picked her up and put her on his lap.

 

"Hello, Hela!" Loki greeted his precious niece. "Your Mommy always puts you on the phone so we can talk. It's so nice to see you at last."

 

Hela blinked up once, twice at her uncle. As a blush colored her cheeks, she threw her arms around Loki and hugged him.

 

As he tightened his hold on his niece, there was an urgent tug on his sleeve. "Yes, Jory?" he asked the boy who was glaring up at him.

 

"Uncle Loki, I want to tell you something that I learned last night," Jormungand replied, his lips set in a determined line.

 

"Sure, go ahead," Loki urged him.

 

Jory coughed to clear his throat and began, "Once, mankind accepted a simple truth…"

 

Odin beamed proudly. "Hehe! I taught him that."

 

"…Boys have a penis and girls have a vagina."

 

AllDaddy choked at that pronouncement. Seeing the eyes glowering back at him, he stammered, "I didn't teach him that!"

 

Laufey has pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and dialed a number. Apparently, someone answered on the other end because the wrestling patriarch declared, "Balder, what have you been teaching Jormungand? He just said the P and the V words." He then whispered to Loki, "OB-Gyne. They always forget themselves, talking about pussies and dicks in front of their kids and—YES, Balder. Uh…uhuh. You shouldn't have let him watch it then. You know how Jory's mind works."

 

Thor muttered helpfully to Loki, "Jormungand's growing up to be sort of a pervert like his Grandpa."

 

"Show respect to your father, boy, or I'll brain you!"

 

As Laufey tucked his phone back, he said, "It seems Nanna popped _Kindergarten Cop_ in the BluRay last night."

 

"I knew it!" Odin wagged his finger in vehemence. "That Arnold is a bad influence on kids. All of his movies are banned until the kids reach legal age!"

 

Having been displaced from Loki's side, Tony took the opportunity to sidle over to Steve. Nudging the wrestler, he announced, "If you don't need Steve anymore, AllDaddy, we really have to go and—"

 

"YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE UNTIL I FINISH TELLING MY STORY! SIT!"

 

"DO WE HAVE TO?"

 

"AAARGH!!"

 

Terrified, Tony jumped into Steve's lap.

 

Thor thought it was hilarious. "My Dad's always doing that!"

 

"Hmph!" Loki grumbled in resentment. "He did that to me too! He AND my father!"

 

"That's because you were always stubborn, Loki."

 

"I was not! It's because they both favored you, the wrinkled prunes!"

 

A sharp blue glance turned their way silenced the two men.

 

Seeing that his audience was finally complete, Odin began anew, "Once upon a time…" He paused briefly, only to be greeted with silence. Realizing that there will be no further interruptions, AllDaddy continued, "…there were two little boys. One was as sharp as a needle, always getting into all sorts of mischief. The other is as dumb as a block, but he's quite lovable and he's always doting on his friend."

 

Loki let out a groan. He knew instantly what his uncle was talking about.

 

"One day, the sharp boy got into trouble with a bunch of bullies. Because he was fragile and delicate, not like his father, he ended up almost getting beat up within an inch of his life."

 

"Hold on! I didn't get beat up—"

 

"Then, who should drop in to save him but his best friend, his golden-haired savior. With fists and feet flying, he beat up the bullies, pounding them into the ground. And the bright boy could only sob and weep with joy at the arrival of his savior."

 

"Yes, there were fists and feet flying, but I certainly DID NOT weep for joy—"

 

"But then, the golden boy was brained by a 2 by 4, which brought him to his knees. Needless to say, the two boys were no match for the bullies. In the end, as they both sat, bleeding on the ground, the golden boy raised his hand and presented a pretty daisy to his best friend, saying 'I love you.' And then they skipped hand in hand merrily through the tulips and they lived happily ever after."

 

Loki felt steam coming out of his ears at the resounding "AWWWW!"

 

"THAT'S A LOAD OF BULLSHIT, YOU OLD FART!" Loki yelled at his uncle. "Yes, I'll agree to the part that I was being beaten up by bullies because of a prank gone bad. And, yes, Thor did come to my rescue. BUT, in the end, _I_ was the one who ended up saving _him_ after he got decked by that wooden plank. And what are you talking about skipping through tulips? Except for the florist shop, there are no tulips growing in New York. Get your facts straight!"

 

"Yes, yes, Loki, deny it all you want but we know the truth," Laufey said dismissingly. That was the sign for everyone to stand up and leave.

 

"WAIT A MINUTE! YOU'RE NOT LISTENING TO ME, DAMN IT!"

 

"It's bad to curse, Uncle Loki," Jory declared, pressing a hand to his uncle's lips before marching off with his playmates.

 

Loki snorted in exasperation as everyone left the building, leaving him sitting on the bench with a grinning Thor beside him and Hela now slumbering on his lap.

 

"Don't mind them, Loki," Thor said reassuringly. "We both know what really happened that day. Oh, this is for you! Sorry. It kinda got squashed. I never expected Bruce to ask me to spar with him."

 

From inside his T-shirt, Thor produced a large but battered sunflower. The bloom was drooping because of its broken stem.

 

Sighing, Loki took the flower and smiled wearily. "You were always quite a handful, Thor. I'm always the one protecting you."

 

"I guess that's the reason why my Dad and Uncle Laufey want you to be my manager. They know that I will be in good hands."

 

"Thor, I—"

 

"Just think about it, Loki. I know you're mad at me for getting into the business. But I have a damned good reason for doing so. I…I need you, Loki. I can't do this without you."

 

Loki gazed thoughtfully at the man at his side. "I really don't think this is a good idea. But, okay, I'll back you up. However, you must promise me that you will watch yourself. Plus, I think a visit to an ophthalmologist is in order. I want your peripheral vision checked out."

 

"Okay," Thor acquiesced. "I hear and obey your every command."

 

Unable to hide his happiness and relief, Thor reached out, a hand gently cupping Loki's neck. He pulled Loki close and gave him a sweet kiss on the lips. As he drew away, he chuckled, seeing the look of surprise on Loki's face, fingertips caressing his flushed lips.

 

"I've always wanted to do that when we were younger. But I guess it's fine now…since we're older."

 

"Thor…"

 

Thor didn't allow Loki to finish what he was going to say as he stood up. "Better get some sleep, Loki. I'll ask Balder to schedule us for an appointment at the hospital tomorrow."

 

Loki shook his head of the tingling sensation that arose because of that tender kiss. "Why tomorrow? Why such a rush?"

 

"Because the day after that, I have a match. I need to be ready."

 

Loki leaped to his feet with Hela still in his arms. "YOU HAVE A MATCH? IN TWO DAYS? Why didn't you tell me?" He then grabbed Thor's arm and tugged him straight to the door. "Come on! We're going to the hospital…RIGHT NOW!"

 

"But Loki—"

 

"I don't want to hear any buts from you, you idiot! Why are all of you springing all these nasty surprises on me, and I just arrived from London!!"

 

Despite the heated exchange of her two uncles, Hela sighed contentedly, pressing her little nose to Loki's sweet-scented hair.

 


End file.
